Page 19

19: Tori

Sleep is a luxury I don't seem to get often. It barely clings to me before it’s ripped away.

A hand brushes my shoulder, firm but careful, the touch bringing me just to the edge of consciousness. My body reacts before my brain does—muscles tensing, breath hitching.

Ryder.

Oh my God, Ryder.

I glance at Ryder. He’s still out, his breath even.

Good. He should be resting.

My pulse kicks up, the last fog of sleep fading with each blink. Before I can jolt upright, a shadow looms over me.

Thorne.

He crouches beside the bed, face dimly lit by the sliver of moonlight cutting through the blinds. One finger lifts to his lips—a silent command. ‘ Stay quiet.’

My brain scrambles for a reason why Thorne is waking me like this. I flick my gaze behind him and spot Blaze standing near the doorway, arms crossed, posture rigid.

Something’s happened. Something bad.

What now?

I push myself up, careful not to wake Ryder, swallowing the hoarseness from my voice. "What is it?"

Thorne doesn’t answer right away. Instead, he stands, offering his hand. I take it without question .

"Come with us," Blaze murmurs, keeping his voice low. "We need you."

Can't exactly say no to that.

I follow them out of the room, my bare feet padding against the cool tile as we move down the hallway, then through the kitchen. Gabe is at the back door, leaning against the frame. He doesn’t speak, just nods once, like he already knows what’s about to happen.

Blaze steps ahead and pulls open the door, the night air rushing in. It’s crisp, thick with the lingering scent of blood.

My stomach tightens.

"Where are we going?" I ask as I step outside, my voice steady despite the way my pulse pounds in my ears.

Thorne walks beside me, matching my pace. "The shed at the edge of the property."

My brows knit together. "The one the gardener uses?"

Blaze nods. "That's the one. Thought it would have some useful tools."

That’s when it clicks.

I know who’s inside before they even say her name. The way they woke me without waking Ryder, the vengeance charging the air around them.

Lila.

Adrenaline shoots through my limbs, igniting something deep, something primal. My hands curl into fists, nails biting into my palms.

Lila drugged Ryder. She tried to take something from him.

Now I'm going to take everything from her.

We move through the backyard in silence, the grass damp beneath my feet. The shed looms ahead, a small, quaint thing. All too normal for what's about to happen inside .

Blaze reaches the door first, pulling it open without hesitation. The scent hits me instantly. Metallic and thick, the sharp tang of blood mingled with fear.

Inside, the single overhead light flickers, casting shadows against the walls. And in the center of the room is Lila. Tied to a chair. Bruised. Bloody. Broken.

They started without me.

How rude.

Her head lolls forward, hair matted against her face. Blood crusts at her temple, a fresh cut splitting her bottom lip.

I step inside, my breath measured, my hands at my sides. I don’t look at Blaze or Thorne—I don’t need to. I keep my gaze on her.

Blaze closes the door behind us, the soft click echoing in the otherwise quiet space. Lila stirs, her body tensing before her swollen eyes crack open. At first, there’s confusion—then recognition. Then? Panic.

I tilt my head, voice smooth. "Rough night?"

She exhales sharply through her nose, struggling against the restraints. "Just having some fun with your guys—"

A laugh I don't even recognize escapes me, a singular dark scoff. "Oh, please. Don’t strain yourself, Lila. You’re gonna need your strength to get through having ‘fun' with me."

She shifts in the chair, trying to pretend like she isn't afraid.

"Not much strength needed for that," she spits back, voice hoarse. "You're not cut out for this."

I smile—not a kind one, but an ‘I'm about to enjoy what I'm going to do to you' type.

Blaze speaks from behind me, voice like crushed gravel. "You'd be very wrong to assume so, Lila. The reason you're still breathing is for Tori to get to do what she wants to you. ”

I glance at him, at Thorne, at the way they are encouraging me. I turn back to Lila, slowly rolling my shoulders, shaking out my fingers.

"And oh boy do I have some plans," I murmur, leaning in, my voice dropping to something dark and final. "You should’ve never touched Ryder."

Her pupils dilate.

She finally understands.

Her fate was sealed the moment she drugged my Ryder.

Lila shifts against the ropes binding her, creaking under the pressure of her weak, pointless resistance. Her swollen eye barely opens as she watches me step forward, my shadow stretching across the concrete floor like it’s reaching for her.

She should be afraid.

The dim overhead light casts fractured shadows over her battered face. I crouch in front of her, tilting my head as I take in the damage. Blaze and Thorne didn’t go easy on her—not that she deserved it. But they left enough untouched for me.

They left the rest to me.

"You like being the center of attention, don't you, Lila?" My voice is almost conversational, almost friendly. "Well, guess what? Tonight’s your night."

She swallows, but her throat is dry. I can hear it. The scratch, the effort.

"Tori—"

I press a single finger against her lips, the gentleness of it mocking the brutality waiting in my hands. "Don't call me Tori. You don't get to speak my name as if we're friends. We're far from it."

I stand, stepping behind her and dragging my fingers along the back of the chair, the wooden surface worn and splintered .

My hand finds the knife resting on the nearby table, cold and daunting. I twirl it once before pressing the tip against the soft flesh behind her ear, just enough to make her hold still.

"You know something, Lila? I've been wanting to hurt you for a while now." I hum, tracing a slow line down her jaw with the blade. "You're so goddamn disrespectful. The way you flirt with Ryder, touching him like you think he belongs to you, even in front of me."

She doesn’t answer. She's at least smart enough to realize I'd cut her tongue if she did.

"You really thought you could take something that wasn’t yours." I dance the blade down her neck and over her shoulder, digging it in just enough to break the skin, a bead of red blooming beneath the pressure.

Her breath stutters, and I drink it in. The anticipation. The terror that takes the place of the bravado she was desperately holding onto.

It's a rush.

Jesus, Tori. When did you start enjoying this shit?

"You made a mistake, Lila." I twist a strand of her blood-matted hair between my fingers. "But don’t worry, I’m going to help you make it right. I'll accept your blood as payment. Screams are a bonus. Ooo, and if you beg enough, maybe I'll end it all faster for you."

The scream she lets out when the knife bites deeper into her shoulder is just the beginning. "That's perfect, Lila. Just like that."

The first cut is just deep enough to sting but not seriously injure.

"Hurts, doesn’t it?" I murmur, tilting my head. "It’s funny. I wonder if Ryder felt like this after you drugged him—trapped, helpless."

Her breath is shallow, ragged, but she keeps her lips pressed together, refusing to beg. For now.

I press the blade lower, just above her sternum. "The thing is, Lila, I could kill you fast. A quick slice—right here—and you’d bleed out in minutes. But where’s the lesson in that? "

I drag the knife slowly down, tearing fabric, not flesh. Not yet. Her blouse splits, revealing pale, trembling skin beneath.

"I’d rather take my time," I whisper. "Make sure you really understand how badly you fucked up. Contemplate those life choices, Lila. You're going to be here a while."

Her body jerks violently against the restraints, her breath coming in sharp, terrified gasps.

It's useless, bitch. You're not going anywhere.

"Struggling won’t save you," I say, pressing a finger into the first shallow cut on her shoulder, feeling the warmth of her blood coat my skin.

Blaze exhales from where he leans against the wall, arms crossed, his eyes unreadable. "I don't think she realizes that Thorne and I aren't the ones she should be scared of. Her nightmare is just starting, isn't it, Doll?"

Lila’s lip trembles, her gaze darting toward him, then to Thorne, who stands silent, watchful.

"Truer words have never been spoken," I respond, stepping around her, dragging my nails along her skin just to watch her flinch. "I bet you thought because you had a pretty face and a few well-placed smiles, you could get away with anything. But this is the real world, and when you touch what isn't yours..." I lean in, voice a whisper against her ear. "You get your fingers cut off."

I press the knife between her index and middle finger with just enough pressure to make her believe I would cut one right off.

Thorne finally speaks, his voice dark and menacing. "She’s shaking now. Took long enough."

I don’t look away from Lila. "She’s realizing just how much pain she's going to be in."

The blade drags, a thin red line appearing against her trembling skin. I kneel in front of her again, lifting her chin with the edge of the knife, forcing her to meet my gaze. "Do you want me to stop, Lila?" My voice is sweet, almost pitying.

She nods, tears finally spilling over.

I'm a little scared by the way my body hums in pleasure at the sight of her tears, a rush of power running through me like a tidal wave.

"Say it."

She swallows hard. "P-please."

I tilt my head. "Please what?"

"Please stop," she gasps, voice barely above a whisper. "I was wrong. I—please."

"Hey, Blaze?" I call for him over my shoulder, but my eyes never stray away from Lila. "Could you hear that from over there?"

"Nope. Couldn't hear a damn thing," he responds, his voice full of amusement as he plays along with me.

I think he and Thorne might be enjoying watching me hurt Lila more than the fact that Lila is being hurt.

"Yeah, I didn't think so." I tsk my tongue at her, holding the knife above her thighs. "Too bad, guess we have to keep going."

Lila's eyes widen so much, I think they'll pop right out of her head. I almost laugh at the sight, but I bite it back.

"No, please!" She quickly pleads as tears well in her eyes.

"Shh. Shh. Shh." I press the blade against her lips. "The time for begging is over. Now it's time to play. You like games, Lila, don't you? I can only assume so, since you've been playing them this entire time."

I twirl the knife idly, enthralled by the reflective silver surface. "I think playing with me seems only fitting. It's a very simple game. I'll blindfold you, so you can feel just as helpless as Ryder did. Once you're blindfolded, I'll place a paper in front of your hand. You get to point to a word. If it’s a body part, I get to cut it. If you point to a word that isn't a body part, I won't cut you that round. ”

I place the blade on the nearby work table, and grab a red, grease-stained rag. When I turn toward Lila, seeing her weave her head around to try and avoid the blindfold. Blaze steps forward, holding her face still, long enough for me to tie the rag tightly against her face and then steps away as if he was never there.

I grab a paper and begin scribbling words, parts of her body I really want to cut into, parts I'd like to set on fire, then I add tools I could use as weapons that I see around the shed. “I'm going to be honest with you, Lila. Most of these are body parts, but about five of them aren't. Those five are times when I'll switch your instrument of torture. Would you like to know what they are?”

I'm having too much fun with this.

Lila shakes her head, her teeth clenched as tight as her fists. “That's too bad, I'm going to read them to you anyway. Suspense is the best thing in a game.”

“Just stop,” Lila finally speaks, her entire body shaking as tears stream down her cheeks. “I get it. I know I messed up. Please. You don't have to do this.”

I ignore her pleas, even though I'm enjoying the begging, and start reading the list. “I have every body part imaginable on this list, but the weapons are the rusty garden scissors, the hatchet in the corner, nails and a hammer, the knife I've been using already, and some random bent lawnmower blade. Isn't that just so exciting?”

I smile as if it's just another board game and not a sick way of keeping her scared while also hurting her.

"Please, Tor—" I punch her in the mouth, cutting her off before she can finish my name.

"I told you not to call me that." My smirk fades, all the twisted playfulness disappearing from my tone as a voice so menacing takes over. "Now, just like Ryder, you don't get to speak. Thorne, do you have something I can gag her with? "

Thorne reaches into his jacket pocket, pulling out a silk handkerchief—jet black, smooth, elegant. "It’s nothing special."

"Oh great. Just like her."

I take it from him, letting the silk slip between my fingers before turning back to Lila. Her breath comes in shallow gasps, her swollen lips parting, maybe to beg, maybe to curse me—doesn’t matter. I grip her chin, nails pressing into her clammy skin, forcing her to look at me.

"Open up," I murmur, my voice dripping with mock sweetness.

She shakes her head violently, muffled protests bubbling in her throat.

"Wrong answer."

I squeeze her cheeks hard enough to make her yelp, her jaw popping open. Before she can snap it shut, I shove the silk between her teeth, pressing it deep until it muffles whatever pathetic words she might try to spit out.

"Better," I hum, stepping back to admire the effect. "Now you don’t get to ruin the moment with your words."

Blaze exhales a quiet chuckle from his spot against the wall, arms crossed, eyes gleaming with dark amusement. "She sounds better like that."

"Let's go ahead and start our game. Remember, Lila, you're the one picking where I'm cutting you." I pick the paper up, waving it around so she can hear it, before I put it close to her hand. "Now point, and let me add that if you don't pick, Thorne or Blaze will pick, and I am sure they won't be kind."

Her entire body trembles, the chair beneath her creaking from the force of her shaking.

You deserve so much worse for what you did to Ryder.

She flinches hard as the paper touches her, a muffled squeal vibrating through the silk. Her hands stay clenched in tight fists rather than following instructions .

"Come on, Lila," I sigh. "Do you really want the first place I cut deep to be your tits or your face? Cause I'm sure that's what they'll pick."

Her hand slowly unravels, realizing her chances are better with the paper than with the two radiating murder vibes behind me.

I mean, she's wrong, but I won't tell her that.

Her index finger slowly extends until it touches the paper right where I want.

No one said this game would be fair.

No one said it wouldn't be rigged.

“Oh, ouch. The soles of your feet,” I pretend to wince, like hurting her is going to hurt me.

As if.

“That's okay, though,” I continue, setting the paper down to pick the knife back up. “You won't be using that part of your body for a while. There's no running away from here.”

Lila's muffled screams get louder as she feels me approach, her senses sharper now that she can't see. She's kicking her legs, doing what she can to keep this from happening, but what she doesn't realize is that there's nothing she can do.

I'm going to cut her… a lot .

Thorne steps forward, gripping Lila's ankles and lifting them up so I can get to the bottoms of her feet. I smile like he's done the most romantic thing as I kneel in front of him, knife gripped tight, and begin to carve ‘rapist’ into her skin.

She thrashes, screaming bloody murder, but Thorne does a good job of holding her down and in place. When I'm done, I admire my handiwork for a second before standing back up.

Thorne lets Lila's feet drop with a heavy thud and another painful scream. He grips the handle of the knife in my hand and meets my gaze, expression masked. "You done? "

I hum, dragging my fingers over her arm, enjoying the way Lila’s body locks up at the mere touch. "Not yet. It's not nearly enough."

I think about the way Ryder is feeling, how broken she made him feel, and the anger in me bubbles back up. It demands blood. It demands it now!

Thorne doesn’t say anything, but he steps back, arms crossed, letting me continue.

There's a wicked smirk across my lips as I stare down at Lila, tilting my head. "Let’s play again. Maybe this time you'll get lucky."

She shakes her head, her body spent as her feet slide around in the blood pooling beneath her. Her hands are balled up again, and I know if I want to keep playing, I need to give her a false sense of hope.

“I'll make you a deal. I'll add a word to the list. Freedom,” I whisper into her ear before standing straight again. “If your finger lands on freedom, I'll untie you and let you drag yourself out of here.”

Her hands are still fisted, but they loosen just enough to let me know she's buying it. “And for every time you point to a word that isn't a part of your body, like one of the weapons, I'll add another freedom to the paper.”

All lies, Lila.

I won't even write the word once.

She takes a deep breath, pulling herself back together to try and sit up. Her mouth is still gagged so she can't vocalize her answer, but when her finger extends, I know she's ready.

“Excellent. Let's continue our game. Who knows, maybe you'll get lucky and it'll end this round,” I suggest, throwing in more false hope. Because why not?

I take my time as we play, cutting her in places that won’t kill her—small, shallow wounds in the places she points to that sting but won’t send her into shock. Every new slice earns another choked whimper, another broken sob. And I love it .

Not just because she deserves this. Not just because of what she did to Ryder. But because it feels good.

The power, the control, the justice. It burns inside me, a dark, thrumming satisfaction.

I’m fucking embracing it.

I've changed weapons twice, working with the rusted scissors now. They help me not cut so deep, since they're dull. She's shaking violently, blood trickling down her torso, her leg, her arms, her…everywhere. It's pooling beneath her chair in a puddle that looks deep enough to swim.

"No luck, Lila," I say, stepping back, flexing my fingers, as if shaking off the adrenaline. "Seems you couldn't get the word freedom. But that's not surprising, seeing how easily you took Ryder’s freedom away. The word seems to elude you. But you know what, Lila? I think I'm done.”

Blaze watches me carefully, his expression impassive. Thorne, though—his gaze flickers between me and Lila like he’s trying to decide if he should have stepped in earlier.

Lila moans weakly, slumping against the restraints, and I tilt my head at her. "How does it feel being at someone else's mercy? Not fun when you're not the one in control, huh?"

She doesn’t answer. She can’t.

I turn to Thorne and Blaze. "She’s all yours."

Blaze pushes off the wall, rolling his shoulders. "I was hoping you’d say that."

I don’t watch what happens next. I don’t need to. I know whatever they're going to do to her will be well-deserved.

I head for the door, stepping outside into the morning air. The darkness I’d been keeping at bay for so long? I don’t feel like fighting it anymore.

I want to welcome it.